Howard High School has named John Starr as its new head football coach. The 54-year old Starr has spent 30 years coaching in Georgia, earning a reputation for rebuilding programs and winning a Class AAA state championship at Josey High in 1995.
Starr takes over for Mark Teague, who left after just two seasons at Howard to accept another coaching job in Louisiana.
"I saw it as a great opportunity to impact young lives," Starr said. "I knew of Howard because it's Reggie White's high school and I've been around Chattanooga before and really liked the city, so I'm excited.
"I think it means more to kids when you help them work to turn things around and they feel more of a sense of accomplishment in doing that, so that's what we're going to work to do."
Starr has also coached at Chattooga for 12 years and spent the past six seasons coaching at Salem High in Conyers,Ga.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.